A quick glance at the dream team this week tells it all. Nine of the 20 teams playing earned a shutout in Round 1. With goals at a premium, a strong backline coupled with Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore was the highest fantasy point yielding combo.
Making it rain in Seattle: Early returns show that the Seattle Sounders should be a good source of fantasy points in 2015. Clint Dempsey ($11.2m) paid off his steep price tag by dropping two goals and one assist on a shaky New England Revolution defense. 24 percent of MLS Fantasy managers were rewarded with a whopping 18 points for rolling with “Deuce”. Obafemi Martins ($11.2m) piled on the fun with 11 points through a goal and an assist of his own. On defense, Tyrone Mears ($7.1m) picked up where DeAndre Yedlin left off at right back, adding an assist to go along with a shutout - good for 10 points. Seattle has a tasty matchup at home vs. the San Jose Earthquakes in Round 2, before a BYE in Round 3.
Biggest Surprise of Round 1: The first curveball of the season came from Bruce Arena as he named Brian Rowe ($4.5m) the Galaxy starting goalkeeper just an hour before the first transfer deadline. Avid fantasy managers scrambled to bring Rowe in to their final squads in order to save money at GKP and spend elsewhere. The move paid off as Rowe rewarded both Arena and fantasy managers with a clean sheet.
Other bargain bin players:Amadou Dia (D, SKC $4.5m), Axel Sjoberg (D, COL $4.6m), George Fochive (M, POR $4.5m), Dominique Badji (F, COL $4.5m)
Congratulations to Nick Ward and his team Li’l Kickers for topping the overall standings after Round 1. Also, props to Hector Manley and his squad Stumpy’s Golden 11 for knocking me off in our Starting Lineup Experts League H2H.
With Round 1 in the books, and the Round 2 transfer window now open, let’s jump right in to preparing your squad:
• The transfer deadline for Round 2 is Friday, March 13th at 7:00PM EDT.
• Keep an eye on the MLS Injury Report and MLS Disciplinary Report throughout the week to ensure you aren’t stuck with dead weight in your Round 2 lineup.
• Review the upcoming schedule before confirming your transfers.
The Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, Montreal Impact and New York Red Bulls are all on a BYE for Round 2. There are four more teams on a BYE in Round 3 that you should also take into consideration when making your transfers.
After scouting the Round 1 action, here are some players I am considering for Round 2:
David Villa ($10m) - Villa will be eager to open his Major League Soccer scoring account in NYCFC’s home opener vs. the Revs on Sunday (5 pm ET; ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/WatchESPN). After watching Seattle dismantle the New England backline, I believe Spain’s all-time leading scorer will make his mark.
Giles Barnes ($9.1m) - Barnes started the game as a withdrawn forward before being pushed higher up the field in the second half by coach Owen Croyle. Barnes excelled in this role and came through with the game-winning goal for the Dynamo. With Houston welcoming expansion side Orlando City SC to town on Friday (7 pm ET; Unimas), I like Barnes chances to find his name on the scoresheet once again.
Kei Kamara ($8m) - Kamara went goalless in Round 1, but it wasn’t from a lack of chances. The Crew attack looked good in their first match but simply couldn’t unravel Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric ($5.1m). With Kamara the lone target for the Crew, he should see plenty of chances to rack up some fantasy points in their home opener against a questionable TFC back line on Saturday (7:30 pm ET; TSN2).
Who were your fantasy surprises or busts from Round 1? Are you already considering using your wildcard to retool your squad? Let us know how you plan to improve your team for Round 2 in the comment section below.
